Warbird
by Dynared21
Summary: Lance stood in the home of the man who was kind enough to listen to his story, his doubts, and his anger. But the offer he presented was not one he had ever expected to accept. But in accepting it, would he truly be able to bring peace to the cosmos as the man had offered? Or had he doomed his friends and the people he was fighting to protect?
1. The Path Laid Before

**Chapter 1 – The Path Laid Before**

Lance McClane had not expected to spend his little downtime in the city in what was essentially a private home on the borders of said city. Nor did he expect to be blurting out all of his insecurities to someone he had met at a bar mere hours before. But here he stood, or rather, sat, spilling his guts to the alien before him. The blue skin and orange hair of his host seemed to cast an eerie glow in the dim lighting.

"And well, I feel like they could just decide to replace me as soon as someone better comes along. Which can't be too hard, right? We go to so many places."

Reaching across the table, Lance's host held his hands firmly, speaking in a calm, friendly tone. "All you're doing, my friend, is telling me what you feel. I told you that I could help you, but I need to know where these feelings came from before I tell you about the why of their existence."

"You sure you can help?"

"Yes," the man said. "You are someone with a great destiny, Lance, but your current path seems to be leading you to ruin rather than the greatness that you truly deserve. Now, what happened when you got here?"

* * *

"The distress beacon is emerging from a planet known as Kuohl, Princess," Coran began as he looked over a readout on the console in front of him. "They claim that the Galra has unleashed a "new weapon" against them and it's overwhelming their forces."

"We're getting a lot of these 'Galra superweapons' lately, aren't we?" Pidge asked.

Shiro nodded. "It makes sense. They know that Voltron is their primary enemy, so they've deployed weapons specifically to take it out."

"So then it's a trap," Lance said. "Why walk into it?"

"It's a little more complicated than that," Coran continued. "You see, Kuohl has been engaged in a civil war for several cycles now, but recently the counter-revolutionary forces have pledged their loyalty to the Galra. Drive off the revolutionaries and they will fall into line as a Galra puppet regime."

"Again," Lance said, "obvious trap. SOS from civil war. New Galra superweapon backed by the army. Isolate and destroy. No one here sees the problem?"

"You would leave innocents to suffer at the hand of the Galra? Because of your own cowardice?"

Turning around, Lance saw the face of an extremely cross Alura, staring a hole in him. For his part, he didn't know how to react.

"What?"

"You would leave innocents, innocents we have confirmed to be in mortal peril, to their demise because you think there may be a risk? You're already full of negative traits, and now I need to add cowardice to the list? Why you remain the…"

"FINE! LET"S GO THEN!"

The others were taken aback by the shout, but nodded at the confirmation, ready to move out. For her part, Allura said nothing to Lance, instead just turning to Coran.

"Coran, set a course for Kuohl,. Try to pinpoint where the forces are moving in from. Perhaps we can surprise them."

"At once Your Highness!" the orange-haired Altean said before punching a set of coordinates into the console in front of him.

"No time to waste people," Shiro said. "Let's move!"

* * *

"You commander, this 'Princess' is a bit of a blowhard. Actually, forget that. She's a complete blowhard according to your story."

"She's not," Lance said defensively before taking a drink from the glass in front of him. "She just always yells at us, and has open contempt for me…"

"More?"

"Yeah! Something about this stuff, I can't tell, but it really takes the edge off."

Pouring the liquid from a green-tinted glass pitcher, the blue-skinned man smiled. "It's just a drink native to the area. Water, minerals, and some herbs for flavoring. Quite good."

"Extremely," Lance replied. "So, as I was saying, I was strongarmed by Princess bi…wait."

"Something the matter my friend?"

"No, I just never thought I'd ever call Allura that. I mean, I didn't mean to call her…"

"Your true feelings are coming out, Blue Paladin. You are no longer restrained. This is good. Now, continue."

"But anyway, I was strong-armed into going, and we went in, expecting the worst."

"You found it I presume."

* * *

The five Lions launched from the Castle in search of their prey. Soon enough, as they had entered the atmosphere of the planet, they had found it. Two smaller cruisers backed by fighters and ground tanks advancing on a city against a far smaller force. The enemy forces were all covered in the purple hues distinctive of Galra-made weaponry.

"They see us coming!" Keith announced to the group. "Not so bad, right?"

"Only two cruisers," Hunk answered. "See Lance? You were worried for nothing! We can take em!"

"Break off and engage the cruisers first, then we'll focus on the ground forces!" Shiro said. Immediately the Lions began charging the cruisers, firing at their gun emplacements and then their engines. The Lions danced around their prey, firing all the while and ensuring that the barrage the cruisers faced was relentless. One of them, overwhelmed by the immense damage inflicted on it when the Yellow Lion's claws sunk into the engines of the cruiser, began to rapidly lose altitude and fall towards the ground.

"One down!" Pidge said. "One to go!"

For a moment in his cockpit, Lance began to relax, looking at the other cruiser with a sense of inevitable triumph. Smoke plumes emerged from it were gun batteries once were and the ship showed signs of heavy damage. Destroying it was a matter of when not if.

And then, without warning, it arrived.

Above the Lions, casting a shadow on the battlefield was a massive warship, guns targeted at the Lions, while fighter jets launched to support the smaller invasion force.

"You had to say something, didn't you?" Lance snapped.

"Cut the chatter, Lance!" Shiro said. "Everyone, there's only one way we're going to bring down that battleship! FORM VOLTRON!"

* * *

"Doesn't the mighty Voltron eat Galra battleships for lunch?"

"How would you know?" Lance asked.

"Your stories are not told in a vacuum, my friend. Tales of the Paladins spread far and wide, of the heroic Black Paladin, the genius Green Paladin, the Yellow Paladin with the strength of ten men, the Red Paladin and his obedient love, the Blue Pal...

"THAT"S A GODDAMN LIE!" Lance shouted, standing up and nearly tossing the glass at the wall. The man smiled.

"I made that last one up."

"Don't," was all Lance said, retaking his seat. "I'm not."

"My apologies. It won't happen again. Now, your story was just getting good. Your premonition had proven true despite the doubts of those around you. What happened next?"

Drinking the entire glass in front of him, Lance continued. "A Galra battleship isn't too bad. But this wasn't just a Galra battleship, oh no. They had a surprise waiting for us."

* * *

The combined form of Voltron flew above the battleship, prepared to attack. But the battleship did not fire its guns. Instead, several panels on the deck of the ship opened, revealing six gigantic, identical looking machines, humanoid in shape, but with the faces of animals, complete with snouts and piercing jaws. Each held a sword a shield in their hands.

"Robeasts?" Hunk asked. He was answered by the six jumping towards Voltron, propelled by jets in their feet towards Voltron with their swords ready to attack.

"Pidge! Keith!"

A sword and shield formed in Voltron's hands to deflect the attacks from the Robeasts, the first two parried, and the second two blocked with the shield. However, the final two found an opening on Voltron's legs, slashing at them and causing the machine to stumble and fall.

"We're losing altitude!" Lance shouted.

"Hold on!" Hunk said, jamming his bayard into the slot in his cockpit. Immediately a cannon formed in Voltron's arms, blasting the enemy machines in front of it. Unfortunately, their shields were already prepared for the attack, blocking the blasts.

"No good!" Hunk said.

"It bought us some time," Shiro replied as Voltron touched down on the surface, unharmed. The six Robeasts followed, swords drawn, surrounding the robot.

"We can't take all six of them at once!" Lance said, only for Keith to interrupt.

"Lance, shut up and do something useful, like think of a plan!"

Lance's objections or anyone else's idea of a plan were cut short by the thunderous boom of cannon fire from the battlecruiser. The six Robeasts had cleared out of the way to allow the cannon to fire with impunity, the shield of Voltron barely holding out against the blasts.

"Shield's fried!" Pidge warned. "We need to move!"

"Look!" Lance shouted.

Sure enough, the six Robeasts had resumed their attack, slashing at Voltron with incredible speed. While defending one, another found the opening to strike, and soon the various strikes added up, leaving the machine on the ground, heavily damaged.

"Oh my word, how did you escape? Did you come up with a plan? Did your friends?"

"You know, I wouldn't call them that now that I think about it," Lance said, taking another drink from the glass. "But no, neither of those happened."

 **BLAM!**

Without warning, laser fire began to pelt the Robeasts, the machines unaware of such an offensive until it was too late. The striking blows hit each machine, forcing them away from Voltron, allowing it to rise up. Not wasting any time, Hunk reformed the cannon in Voltron's arms, but rather than fire at the Robeast, fired at the battlecruiser, leaving a massive hole in the midst of the ship, causing the cruiser to lose altitude.

Immediately, the cruiser began to pull away, recalling its fighters. Not wanting to be left behind, the six Robeasts flew back up to it as well, Hunk firing at them all the while. Unlike the battleship, the broad shields each carried deflected the blasts, allowing the machines to escape from the battle.

"Way to go Hunk!" Pidge exclaimed.

"Gotta agree," Shiro added. "Nice shot."

"Aw come on guys, you're gonna make me blush."

The Paladins, a sense of relief having washed over them, looked on at the allied forces that had given them the opening. Smiling, Voltron turned to them.

"Don't be alarmed!" Shiro said. "We are here to help!"

* * *

"So blind luck let you win the day?"

"Just about." Taking another drink, Lance added, "they always respected fat boy's shooting skills more than mine. Like it takes a lot of skill to fire an LMG all over the room. What I do takes practice, dammit!"

"Something tells me that wasn't the end of it."

"No, I had to get raked over the coals when we meet with our so-called 'allies' at their base…"

* * *

If it was not for your help, Paladins of Voltron, our capital city would have surely fallen today against the Galra and their Tiglon Robeasts."

The Voltron Paladins stood in front of the commanders of the Resistance forces over a large circular table, after having been escorted to a building known as the Heroes Hall. According to their hosts, the Heroes Hall was one of the last buildings of the old united government to still be standing in the civil war, which is why they chose to use it as the headquarters of their military. Lance grinned slightly at the round table, reminded of the old legends of King Authur and his knights, noblemen who battled the forces of evil and protected fair maidens. If only it were so simple in real life. The blue-skinned aliens seemed welcoming, offering seats to the Paladins and Allura.

"Tiglon?" Allura asked.

"Machines meant to be half-tiger, half-lion, presumably to be more ferocious than the mighty lions. But with your help, we won the day. The loyalist forces will soon lose their support when they find the price of their freedom isn't enough to quash the rebellion."

"And to think," Keith said, "we almost didn't come in time because someone thought it was a trap." Staring at Lance when he said this, Keith said nothing else, but his expression spoke volumes. It was one not lost on the Kuohl commander.

"The Blue Paladin would shirk us in our hour of need?"

"What?" Lance said, taken aback by the sudden insult. "No! I just wanted to…"

"It's a good thing you didn't listen to this spineless Walderfish of a Paladin! If the Galra had come in unopposed, we would have been wiped out!"

Shiro attempted to speak, but the commander, a blue skinned man with thick wrinkles and a worn expression would have none of it, raising his hand alongside his head.

"Guards, remove the Blue Paladin from my sight. He is banned from all further meetings, lest his cowardice infects the rest of you."

Two tall blue-skinned guards emerged, but before they could do anything, Lance walked out of the room, sneering.

"Fine. I'll leave." As he walked out, he heard the commander say something that truly stung, something that Shiro did not object to.

"Black Paladin, you really should get a braver pilot for the Blue Lion. The one you have now is clearly unworthy."

* * *

The revolutionaries are hypocrites. Claiming they desire peace when they just want to replace the current monarchy with a direct tyranny. Their battles aren't ideological, they're old blood feuds between clans mad that their rivals have power and not they."

"Well I wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson," Lance said.

"That's why you went to that bar, wasn't it? To plan your revenge against the revolutionaries?" This caused the Blue Paladin to laugh.

"Yeah, I wish! I just wanted to clear my head as far away from those jackasses as possible! No one recognized me or cared thank God. And then you walked in."

"And I saw a man who had a great destiny," the host began, "but who was held back by a team that didn't appreciate his skill and his genius. A man wasted working with incompetent fools, children, recluses, and the blind. When he should be leading his story, not following the wills of others."

"Look, my man," Lance said, "You're a nice guy, and I'm real glad you listened to me ramble about those idiots, but it's not like you have a way to fix this. You don't have anything I can use to stop those hypocrites, and I still have to help Voltron fight the Galra. The others are probably…"

The man smiled, standing from his chair and interrupting Lance's train of thought.

"First, my name is Shurato," the man said. "Secondly, what if I told you I did have a weapon you could use to destroy the counter-revolutionaries, one that would let you and you alone bring peace to the universe?"

"I'd say you were drinking more than water."

"It was no accident that I met you, Mr. McClane," Shurato said, beckoning Lance to follow him. "I have searched this entire planet for one that could use my weapon. Fate bought me a warrior from the stars, wise and rational, but powerful and skilled as well."

"Where is he?"

"You, Lance. You are the one I seek. The Warbird."

"War-bird?"

As the pair continued to walk, Shurato beckoned Lance to what appeared to be an elevator. Entering it, he continued.

"The Warbird is a creature in Kuohl folklore that rises to end the reigns of tyrants. It was said that many, many cycles ago, the despot Daibazall ruled our planet with an iron fist. He tortured our people, ground us in eons of war, and made us suffer. Then, it rose."

"The Warbird?" Lance asked, unaware of just how deep the elevator went.

"The Warbird bonded with a sole warrior, a boy who deemed himself weak and unworthy. He arose, in shining armor, and struck down Daibazall on the field of battle, freeing our planet from his tyranny."

The elevator came to a stop, as the pair stepped out to a catwalk. Looking over it, Lance was stunned.

"That's the Warbird?"

"Quite an impressive machine if I say so myself."

Said machine was a black and blue battleship, the size of a smaller Galra gunboat, but at least twice the size of Voltron, with long wings on the front, and the face of what looked like a masked man by its bridge. Gun emplacements were present on both sides along with slots that Lance could only assume were missile batteries.

"You want me to pilot this?" Lance asked. Shurato nodded.

"I want you to embrace your destiny, not as the Blue Paladin, but as the Warbird that will bring peace not just to this planet, but to the entire cosmos! You are the true hero of this story, and with this, you will rewrite that story! Don the armor of the Warbird! End this civil war!"

Lance looked on at the gunship in front of him, and then at Shurato, who was smiling the entire time. "But then again, if you believed that your friends were right, then I can always place you back in the armor of the Blue Paladin, and you can remain the emotional crutch for those who seek to demean and demoralize you."

Lance tried to think of a reason to not go, of the bonds he had made with the others. But something seemed to be preventing him from doing so. His attempts to think of the things he would normally bring up when describing the other Paladins and Allura were replaced with harsh memories, rejections, insults, and abuse.

It was if he didn't have a single positive memory to share.

"Where is the armor?"

"Follow me."

Nodding, Lance left the catwalk and entered a small room where standing on a wall was armor with an avian theme, white and red in color. He began to remove the Blue Paladin armor, but before he did, quickly turned to his host.

"Some privacy please?"

"Oh, right. I'll be outside on the catwalk." Taking his leave, Shurato walked outside and grinned.

"You will be my Warbird, Lance McClane. And with you and this machine at your disposal, not only will this pointless civil war be over, but also so will the Voltron Paladins! I will finally have power in the universe to allow my seat in Zarkon's inner circle."

Shurato's train of thought was interrupted by the appearance of Lance, having discarded his Blue Paladin armor in favor of the white and red armor of the Warbird, complete with a mask that covered the entirety of his face save his eyes. Nodding, he looked on at his benefactor.

"I'm ready. So, uh, what do we do first?"

That armor will allow you a mental link with your steed, the War-Ark," Shurato explained. "Try it."

Raising his armored hand, Lance began to focus on the ship in front of him. Without warning, its engines ignited, stunning the former Paladin.

"See? You will know everything your machine does. Now, how about you take revenge on the revolutionaries that insulted you? Destroy their center of command and end this war?"

"I can do that?"

"Of course you can. But, before we go…"

Going back into a separate room, Shurato emerged with two glasses. Handing one to Lance, he proudly toasted.

"To peace in the cosmos! And the start of our story!"

"I'll drink to that!"

Shurato smiled as Lance entered the gunship, awed at the starship he had command of while he retreated to a large room with a control panel.

"Hey, Shurato?"

"What is it?"

"After we take out the counter-revolutionaries, can I show this to the other Paladins?"

"Why?"

The smile obvious on his face even with the mask, Lance answered, "So I can kill them."

"Of course."

Two massive doors emerged, leading to a long tunnel in front of the gunboat. It flew out, prepared to attack its quarry. Holding a glass, Shurato smiled.

"So easily manipulated, my friend. So easily directed. But even if you are under my control thanks to my tonic, I think you'll be happier with me in the long run."

In the safe confines of his basement, Shurato observed the screen, prepared to see what the Warbird would do in his anger-fueled haze.

* * *

 **This was one of two scripts I wanted to write about that were Lance-centric, a much lighter adventure that I'll probably do later, and this. Too many times, characters that are depressed are giving really bad revenge fics where they're saints and everyone else is a jerk. Anyone who's had to deal with anger knows that this isn't the case** **and that more often than not, anger blinds us to the true situation of what's going on. At the same time, watching Season 2, it was clear that Lance had a severe case of self-doubt, and it's not hard to see how something like that could be turned against him.**

 **Enjoy and review. A proper explanation is set to come.**


	2. Beautiful Wings of Light

**Chapter 2 – Beautiful Wings of Light**

The morning sun shined on the Castle of Lions as it stood on a hill outside of the capital city of the Resistance in Kuohl. For Keith, this meant washing up before heading to the mess hall for the usual food goo. Hunk's search of the local markets the night before had come up with the rough equivalent of flour and some meat, but nothing that he would be sure could work as a meal until later.

"Keith, a word?"

Turning around, Keith saw the rather cross-looking face of Shiro, clad in his full Paladin armor and beckoning him to an isolated room. Nodding, he walked over.

"What's up?"

"Lance is now banned from any further meetings between us and the Resistance forces. Commander Idel doesn't even want us using him at all, thanks to what you said."

"What I said?"

"You accused Lance of being a coward right in front of our allies. They take that VERY seriously as I've found out. I tried talking on his behalf and it's like talking to a brick wall. Once they mark someone as a coward, they're effectively made a pariah until they prove otherwise. Repeatedly."

"Come on, " Keith began, trying to come up with the words to defend himself, "Lance says stuff about me all the time…"

"In here," Shiro answered. "You two want to make fun of each other in here, you do that as much as you want. But you cannot, CANNOT make fun of your own teammates in front of potential allies! Not only does it make them look bad, it makes your entire team look bad by proxy for working with them. If you're going to lead this team, you have to be willing to trust your team and show others that trust, even when you're annoyed with them."

Keith said nothing, but looked on at the floor, unsure of how to react to the fact that the entire team looked bad because he wanted to get a crack in at Lance.

"Besides," Shiro continued, "He was right in the long run. We did almost get wiped out because we went into a trap. We should have coordinated with the Resistance or scouted the area, done something to have avoided that."

"Anything else I do wrong?" Keith asked.

Shiro shook his head. "That's how you learn. I just really wish learning didn't entail me arguing with thickheaded commanders for several hours. Just notice how I'm doing this here, and not at the table in front of everyone."

Nodding, Keith headed down to the table, where the others looked on at the food goo in front of them. Hunk looked apologetic.

"Sorry guys. I wish I could have done more with this mess, but there wasn't really enough time to test everything."

"Why are you apologizing?" Coran asked. "You act like we had nothing to eat! Besides, it was your heroism that saved the day yesterday, wasn't it?"

"That was a lucky opening," Hunk said, holding his hand behind his head and blushing slightly. "I'm no hero, just had an opportunity."

"Don't sell yourself short Hunk," Pidge said. "The Galra probably aren't."

As the group continued to eat, Keith noticed that Lance's seat was empty, a surprise considering he was usually punctual for breakfast. He had hoped to offer some form of apology, if for no other reason than to feel slightly better about what had occurred. Shiro, in his usual wisdom, had been right, if he was going to lead anyone, he couldn't mock them in front of others. That's how resentful teenagers got made.

His train of thought was interrupted by Allura's voice, the Altean princess having risen from the table to speak. The group stared at her intently while she spoke.

"I want to apologize for yesterday. My actions were reckless."

"Princess?" Keith said.

"I sent you all into battle with no idea of what we were dealing with, mocked Lance when he tried to provide a voice of reason and had it not been for the assistance of the resistance, we would have all been destroyed by the Galra's trap. I have been letting emotion concerning the Galra cloud my judgment and leave you all vulnerable as a result."

"It's OK Princess," Shiro said. "You heard the resistance commander. If we hadn't done anything, they would have been wiped out."

"But still…"

"No buts," Shiro firmly said. "It's in the past now." Allura nodded while looking around the table.

"Where's Lance? I figure he of all people would want to hear me apologize for how I acted."

"Haven't seen him since he left the meeting room yesterday," Pidge said. The others all noted the same, namely that Lance hadn't been around since he was thrown out of the Hall of Heroes.

However, before they could ponder just what had happened to the Blue Paladin, a transmission began to beep on one of the monitors. Quickly, Coran flipped a switch to allow it to be seen.

 _PALADINS!_ _Your help is needed urgently!_

"Commander Idel!" Shiro shouted. "What's going on?"

 _A new weapon…unknown origin…destroying the capital…Hall of Heroes annihilated! Army….decimated…help immediately! Please!_

The Paladins all rose from the table, prepared to move out. Hunk, though, couldn't help but ask "What about Lance?"

"Hopefully he's OK," Shiro said, "but this can't wait! Let's move!"

* * *

 _Thirty minutes earlier:_

Stol, the Resistance's capital city, awoke to the sunlight like everyone else in that particular part of Kuohl's hemisphere. Businesses opened, families gathered for morning meals, and military officers in the Hall of Heroes walked in, looking over battle plans from the monarchy, and plotting their own counterattacks.

The veneer of normalcy was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a black and blue warship above the skies of the city. Quite literally, it had appeared out of thin air, obviously concealed by a cloaking device of some sort. When he looked from his window at the warship, Commander Idel of the Resistance forces was puzzled.

"That doesn't look like ours or Galra. Whose is it? Is it from our new allies?"

"They didn't mention a gunship of any size sir, just Voltron and the Castle of Lions."

From within the warship, unaware of what those outside were saying, Lance looked on at the Hall of Heroes directly in front of him. True, he had come this far, but was it really in him to single-handedly wipe out a city? Doubt gripped him as he turned to a monitor.

"Shurato, they seem kinda scared. Is there any way I could just freak them out and then leave? I mean…"

 _You mean you would let the city that insulted you free to do so some more?_

"The whole city?" Lance asked, clearly taken aback by this accusation.

 _Of course. They celebrated the other Paladins, but you, while you were getting into position, resting, they had been using you as a punchline! A cruel joke!_

Information began to rapidly enter Lance's brain, presumably fed to him by the armor and the connection between the armor and the War-Ark. And from there he saw people mocking him. Not just people on the street, newscasters, comedians, and important military officers. The Blue Paladin, a coward. A pointless limb. A worthless sack of flesh and organs.

Why hadn't the Black Paladin dumped this useless carcass of a human in the vacuum of space and gotten someone competent to use the Blue Lion?

The rage boiled in Lance with each passing image, each fresh insult scraping a bit more from his hesitation. Finally, in one dramatic movement, he pointed at the Hall of Heroes.

"ANTI-MESON GUNS, FIRE!"

From behind the War-Ark, extending in every direction, sparks of energy flew, cascading from the starship, as if they were wings made of light. It was the prelude to every single gun battery firing on the Hall of Heroes, reducing it to rubble.

Panic emerged in the city as the symbol of the Resistance against the monarchy was reduced to nothingness while military forces desperately scrambled to attack. Inside the War-Ark, Lance moved his limbs to and fro as if he were a mad conductor, directing every gun and missile against the offensive sight in front of him. Jets were shot down before they could even approach him, roads were turned to dirt and gravel, and homes were made ash by the weapons that launched from the Ark.

In the gravel of the Hall of Heroes, a badly wounded Commander Idel looked on at a portable communicator, his last chance of summoning help.

"Paladins!" he screamed into the communicator. "Your help is urgently needed!"

 _Com….what's going on?_

The signal was fractured, but it didn't matter. "There's a new weapon of unknown origin that just entered Stol! The capital has been nearly completely destroyed! The Hall of Heroes has been annihilated! Our army has been decimated in its counterattack! We need help immediately!"

The communicator had gone dead, leaving Commander Idel to look up at the battleship that had annihilated the city. A familiar voice emerged from it., broadcast over its speakers.

 _Who's the coward now? WHO?!_

"Wh…"

 **BOOM!**

The blast of the War-Ark's cannons prevented Commander Idel from finishing that, or any other thought.

* * *

The four lions flew towards the target as quickly as they could, observing the massive amount of damage that it had already done.

"All this from one ship?" Pidge asked. "It's not even that big!"

"Looks like it," Shiro replied. "Look, everyone, we're one lion short and we can't form Voltron. So we'll split up and attack the gunboat from multiple angles. Let's move!"

The gun batteries of the blue and black gunboat began to fire immediately at the targets in front of them, but the Lions, unlike the jet fighters of Kuohl, were far more maneuverable and quicker. The Red Lion, during a pass, dodged cannon fire and returned it in kind, leaving large explosions repelled by the craft's shielding.

"Keith, you bastard," Lance growled to himself. "Stand still so I can fuse you to the ground!"

The cannons were having a similar lack of luck in trying to pin down either the Black or Green Lions, each taking potshots at the War-Ark uninhibited.

 **WHAM!**

A sudden jolt shook the Ark as Lance looked at a monitor, seeing the Yellow Lion ramming the Ark, attempting to push it out of the battlefield. Lance's breath began to quicken, his rage began to build, and panic started to settle in. Nothing was working. His stint as the Warbird would be over before it began.

 _Lance! Calm down!_

"Shurato, nothing's working!"

 _Of course, nothing's working! You're trying to fight the Lions using the War-Ark's ship mode! Have no fear for you've but unlocked a mere portion of the War-Ark's true power._

Rapid displays of images began to fill Lance's mind again, but unlike before, they didn't induce rage, but rather hope. He knew what he had to do, what needed to be done to win the day.

" **FU-SION!"**

Immediately, a large frame appeared behind Lance, which he stepped into, the frame sinking into the floor of the bridge of the ship. A powerful energy barrier drove Hunk back with several thousand volts of electricity, forcing the Lions to back away. As they did so, part of the War-Ark began to separate from the main ship, while it began to fold and contort, revealing a pair of massive legs and a torso.

" **WING SET!"**

The masked bridge of the unit landed on top of the separated body, while the two rows of gun batteries revealed massive hands, creating the arms of the robot. Each was attached to the side of the machine as it stood into its true form, the right arm carrying what appeared to be a black bow.

" **WARBIRD KING!"**

The 'wings of light' that had first shone when the War-Ark began firing its weapons appeared behind the robot called Warbird King, far larger and more radiant than prior as if they were expending a great deal more energy.

The other Paladins were unsure of what to make of this new foe. It stood twice as large as even Voltron and yet was able to float in the skies fairly effortlessly. Despite this, it began to lower itself into the city, presumably to cause more destruction. It was something that Keith couldn't allow.

"I got a shot!"

"Take it!" Shiro said. "We can't form Voltron so we need to end this quickly!"

A massive cannon formed on the back of Red Lion and immediately fired at the descending Warbird King. Unfortunately, a single raised arm and its corresponding shield seemed more than sufficient to deflect the blow.

Lance was no longer on the bridge of the ship. He didn't even feel like he was piloting it in the conventional sense. Rather, he was one with the machine in a way he never was with the Blue Lion, as if his mind had literally been transplanted into the body of the robot.

"Is that all you've got Keith?!" he spoke aloud through the speakers of the Warbird King. "I'm disappointed!"

"That can't be…Lance?"

"FIREBIRD!"

From the 'bow' on the right arm of the Warbird King, a pulse of energy resembling a bird flew towards the Red Lion. Keith had no time to react, but luckily Shiro did, pushing the Lion out of the way and being grazed by the weapon.

"AHHHH!"

"Shiro!"

"I'll be alright! But that voice is that…"

"I am no longer the Blue Paladin, your toy to be mocked!" Lance said. "I am the Warbird! And I will take my time killing each of you nice and slowly! Let's start with you, my so-called rival!"

"Like hell!"

 **WHAM!**

The heavily armored form of the Yellow Lion attacked from the side, knocking the machine off balance. However, it recovered quickly, spinning around and delivering a kick powerful enough to send the Yellow Lion into the debris of several buildings.

"Wait your turn, fat boy! I'll deal with you later."

Several blasts prevented Lance from acting on the threat, as vines rapidly began to grow and cover Warbird King. Turning to the source of the attack, he smiled.

"This won't work on me!"

Red energy surrounded Warbird King, burning the vines away, as its arm rose to target the Green Lion.

"Say goodbye!"

Pidge had nowhere to go. She was as good as dead.

But did she deserve to die?

The thought entered his brain uninvited, allowing her to move out of the way.

* * *

From the monitors in his command center, Shurato watched the battle between Warbird King and the four lions with great interest. Its first time in battle and already it had proven far superior to the Lions.

That made the hesitation to fire on the Green Lion all the more noticeable, allowing it time to get away from the line of fire. The other Lions all regrouped, trying to attack from all sides. While Lance deflected their blows easily, something seemed to make him hesitate.

He had to snuff it out or else his scheme would be undone. It would take more conditioning to bring him to where he needed to be mentally to destroy his former allies.

"Lance, retreat for now. Your weapons are starting to run low and your power is exhausted."

 _I'm winning! Let me finish them off!_

"No! This is for your own good! If you exhaust yourself while fused with Warbird King, the damage to your brain could be catastrophic! Fall back and we'll come up with a proper strategy! Besides, the Lions will be our final trophies, not our first."

 _Understood_ , Lance said with clear annoyance in his voice. _Falling back to base._

"Have no fear Warbird," Shurato reassured his charge. "You will have your revenge on the Paladins, I'll see to it."

As the monitor shut off, the blue-skinned benefactor added "As I will have mine on the families ofKuohl. This planet will be mine as it should have been in the first place!"

* * *

We'll have to settle things another time Paladins!" Lance said as his voice echoed in front of his former allies. "But don't worry, the Warbird will soar again, and next time, none of you will escape alive!"

"COWARD!"

"The last person who called me a coward Keith," Lance boasted, "was in what's left of the Hall of Heroes. You'll join him soon enough."

Keith attempted to follow the retreating robot as it separated but it soon vanished, shielded by its cloaking device. The loud boom of jet engines racing away from the battlefield soon afterward signaled that their target had escaped. Unsure of what to say, it was a communication from Allura that broke the awkward silence.

 _Paladins, what happened? That voice. Was that Lance?  
_

"It appears so Princess," Shiro replied. "This explains where he's been."

"But where did he get something that strong?" Hunk asked.

"And why was he trying to kill us?" said Pidge.

"None of this makes any sense. This…" Shiro said, looking at the destruction below them, "isn't Lance. He's emotional, but he's not a psycho!"

 _We need to communicate with the Resistance forces. What's left of them anyway. Then we'll plan our next move._

* * *

Emerging from the deck of the War-Ark, Lance removed the mask that had covered his face, turning to his benefactor. He smiled.

"Shurato, you saw that? They're all dead. All the people who made fun of me are dead!"

"Yes, I have," Shurato answered, handing Lance a glass of water, which he drank down. "However, merely destroying the revolutionary forces isn't nearly enough. We must now wipe out the Loyalist forces as well and their Galra allies if we're ever going to truly free this planet.

"Good old fashioned Galra bashing. I like it. So, when do we…ugh..."

A wave of vertigo and weakness overwhelmed Lance as he sank to one knee, unable to stand in his armor.

"W…what's going on?"

"Mental fusion with Warbird King is draining, my friend," Shurato replied, helping him up. "You're not used to it. You need food, first and foremost, and then you need rest. You won't be any good to anyone without either of those. Now let's get you out of that armor and into something lighter."

"Food, rest," Lance mumbled. "Got it."

"Patience my friend," Shurato reassured Lance as he carried him off to the elevator. "You destroyed the revolutionaries today in one blow and established Warbird King as the clear superior of the Voltron Lions. Imagine what you'll accomplish tomorrow."

* * *

Someone captured Lance," Hunk said, "when he was kicked out of the meeting. Then he's piloting a robot that's twice the size of Voltron and seems to have ten times the firepower! Is it Galra?"

"I don't know," Shiro said, looking on at the table in the Castle of Lions. "I do know that Lance wouldn't act like that. I can't believe he'd do this willingly. "

"He seemed pretty willing when he was shooting at us," Keith said, but Pidge shook her head.

"No, he hesitated. At least on me."

"Huh?"

"There was one point where his robot had a clear shot and he hesitated to fire. If he had fired at that point, I would be dead."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that he is not acting completely of his own volition," Pidge continued, adjusting her glasses. "If killing us was his idea, do you really think he would have hesitated? Not to mention he had us on the ropes at one point, and then decided to bail."

"Someone's controlling him," Hunk said.

"Exactly. Someone who had a very big transforming robot and needed a pilot. He's the one controlling Lance, or at the very least goading him somehow."

The door opened, revealing Allura emerging with a rather grim expression.

"Princess," Keith began, "have you heard from the Resistance?" She shook her head.

"There is no more resistance. Their senior command was wiped out and smaller companies were ambushed during the attack on Stol. The civil war is effectively over, and the Galra have won."

"Great," Hunk said. "So we're down a Paladin, in hostile territory, and have no idea what to do next. Any suggestions?"

"We get our Paladin back," Keith replied. "Any objections?"

None were raised.

* * *

 **See? This isn't a straight revenge fic more as it is a story about how anger can make us do terrible things and we don't realize it until it's too late.**

 **Also yes, Warbird King is a reference to another giant robot.**

 **Enjoy and review.**


	3. Equal Punishment

Behind the dark side of one of Kuohl's moons, the Castle of Lions waited, intercepting transmissions from the planet itself. Specifically, a planet-wide broadcast of the ruling monarch, King Girua VI, was set to announce the end of the war. Looking on at the screen, Keith expressed annoyance.

"Do you really think Lance and his big robot are going to show up? It just looks like an opportunity for the king to gloat."

The screen Keith was looking at was in the midst of the conference room, with other screens in front of the other Paladins, Allura, and Coran. Each began looking over the broadcasts for any sign of their friend and his new war machine, as well as for clues as to who could potentially be manipulating him.

"We can't take that chance," Pidge said. "Besides, the Galra like to rub new weapons in the face of conquered worlds, to show how useless resistance is. That's probably why those Robeasts seem to be surrounding the main palace."

"How do you know that?" Hunk asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"I've been studying broadcasts from worlds we've gone to. 'Know your enemy and know yourself' is how the saying goes."

Keith looked on at Pidge and smiled. "I didn't know you studied Sun Tzu."

"I didn't," Pidge replied with a grin. "That was a fortune cookie I saw once."

"Looks like the broadcast is starting," interrupted Shiro. "So far, no sign of Warbird King or Lance. Let's keep looking. Coran, if any unusual signals come through, let us know immediately."

"Of course!"

* * *

King Girua smiled as he waited in the atrium by the balcony where he would be making his speech. Looking on at the Galra commander next to him, he began to nod.

"Our regime is in your debt. I'm prepared to do my part, but are you prepared to do yours?"

"Just stick to the script," the tall purple alien said. "You and your people have nothing to fear so long as you say exactly what you were told. Besides, we have more than enough resistance fighters to use as labor."

"I must say, though," the king continued as he put a jeweled ring over his head, completely circular, unlike an Earthen crown, "that warship of yours was far beyond any of your prior Robeasts. Why didn't you lead with that?"

"That's our secret. Do what you're told." The tone of theGalra commander's voice changing from warm to authoritative served its purpose, to remind the king of who the true power was."

* * *

Shurato looked on at the broadcast that was set to begin from within the command center. Turning to a second screen, he addressed his charge.

"Warbird, they're set to begin. But for maximum effectiveness, we won't attack immediately. We're going to wait for a proper line from the speech, at which point Warbird King will appear. Kill everyone."

 _They work for the Galra. They're just as bad, right?_

"Worse. They don't even have the courage to do things for themselves. They must have others do it for them. I trust you're rested and able, correct?"

 _Ready, willing, and able. Killing Galra is what I do best._

"I'll monitor the speech, you get into position. Have no fear. Their Robeasts are inferior to Warbird King in every way."

 _I am the Warbird, not the Blue Paladin. I have no fear._

"Good hunting Warbird."

Sitting down in front of the monitor broadcasting the speech, Shurato smiled. He had destroyed half of the people that plunged Kuohl into civil war, and now he would eliminate the other half. Once that was done, his people, his spawn would rule the planet, free of the chains of the old. That he would soon find his way to Zarkon's inner circle despite this was not the same as being a slave to the Galra. Besides, the Warbird King was mightier than even Voltron. A fleet of Warbird Kings could destroy the Galra Empire once and for all.

But those were problems for another day.

* * *

The crowd in front of the palace in Garrod was loud and enthusiastic, cheering as the king emerged onto the balcony. All over, cameras broadcast his face onto massive projections for the crowd in the back to see, as well as to broadcasts across the world. The cameras, while mostly focused on the king, took the time to focus on both the Robeasts and the massive Galra battleship that hovered overhead, symbols of the new partnership.

The cheers of the gathered crowd erupted like a storm over the palace once the King's face was broadcast on the cameras, a storm that was silenced with a gesture, the blue-skinned king raising his hands skyward.

"Friends, allies! Today is a great day for all Kuohlians! We have finally ended the civil war that had plunged our planet into eons of darkness and suffering! We have united the planet under one rule, to end the strife, and to no longer destroy. Now, our planet can be rebuilt, finally, as the once great kingdom it was, so it shall be again!"

Cheering and clapping echoed for several seconds as King Girua took it all in, grinning. Behind him, unseen by the cameras, but visible out of the back of his eye, was the Galra commander, his expression cross. Girua nodded slightly to him, having had no intention of backing out of their deal.

"Itis however, important that we realize just what we are doing, that as part of a larger galactic community, we cannot be isolated from those who would help us. TheGalra empire, in its wisdom, has welcomed us to the community at large. This is not meant to be the loss of our autonomy, but that we will work together in the future, and that we will be stronger united."

* * *

That's your cue Warbird."

 _Understood. Commencing purge._

* * *

Without warning, a massive robot with wings of light emanating from its back appeared in front of the palace, shocking everyone present. The king had no idea of how to react to the appearance of the machine, nor did the Galra commander.

"What's that? What's going on?"

"I don't know!" the Galra commander said, his confused expression apparent.

Turning back to the machine, King Girua saw the robot raise its right arm, pointing it directly at the palace.

"FIREBIRD!"

The loud cry of a bird echoed through the crowd as the Firebird struck the palace, splitting it in half and killing everyone on the upper floors. The people who had gathered for the speech panicked and ran while the robot looked on at its victim.

"I AM THE WARBIRD, AND THIS FARCE IS OVER!"

Immediately the Robeasts on the ground went to work, one flying up towards Warbird King, sword drawn and shield ready. Its attack was deflected by an energy barrier, allowing Warbird King to grab its head between its massive arm.

"These are the Robeasts that gave Voltron such a hard time?" Crushing the head between the thick hands of the robot, Lance cried out "Pathetic!"

* * *

We found him!" Hunk said. "And he is not working for the Galra!"

"Yeah," Pidge said. "Obviously. Look at him. He's enjoying this."

"Do we go down there?" Keith asked, with Shiro looking on at the situation.

"He's fighting the Galra. It's technically more advantageous to let both sides weaken each other, and then move in. We might even find out where he's been taking orders from."

"I'll scan the area for communications," Coran said, returning to his monitor.

"Good idea. The rest of you, I want you on standby on your lions, just in case."

"Beats watching TV," Keith replied as he headed off to the launch bay.

* * *

"All cannons fire!"

The thick shields of the Robeasts were able to withstand the pummeling of the cannons, but the people fleeing were not so lucky. The 'Warbird' didn't care. The annihilation of his enemies was his first priority.

 _Excellent work. Now move in for the kill._

"Of course."

The Robeasts were too focused on defense. Not even defense, but self-preservation, as they cared not for the people being annihilated below. They were stupid creatures and easily bested.

"FIREBIRD!"

The bird-shaped plume of energy shot out again, covering one of the Robeasts in its force, and leaving nothing but molten slag and a broken sword. There were only four remaining, but they held their ground.

"Come! I'll reduce this city to rubble if that's what it takes to cleanse this planet of the Galra!"

There was a joy in his words, in his actions that bordered on outright cruel. He never acted this way when fighting Robeasts before. Usually, the joy was in the victory, the sense of accomplishment, and the battle was a necessary evil. But here, it was the complete opposite. The battle itself was the source of his joy, the feeling that these monsters, as formidable as they appeared a few days prior, were destined to fall and fall quickly.

One of the Robeasts took the initiative, charging forward, only to meet a barrage of cannon and missile fire. Immediately, their shields rose.

"Perfect."

Their defense from the frontal assault set, the Robeasts failed to see the missiles careening behind them, and the explosions that consumed them. Soon nothing was left, or at least nothing whole enough to actually offer resistance. Turning its attention to the battlecruiser in the sky, Warbird King's arms raised into the air.

"Open all gun ports! Simultaneous fire!"

The crew of the battlecruiser had no time to mount a defense. Dozens of beams of energy struck the ship, leaving deep holes to it, accentuated by missile fire. Several engines exploded and the charred wreckage began to fall over the city.

"It's over," Lance said, standing alone on the battlefield where the monarchy was set to announce its triumph. "Now what?"

 _You need to return to base. This needs to sink into the minds of the people. Tomorrow, I will give my call, and let them know that there is a better way. A much better way._

Lance nodded, but turned to a floating camera, undamaged in the battle. His body, resting in the core of the Warbird King, smiled as it was held aloft to the robot's mechanical face.

"I know you're watching this Paladins. Trust me, I haven't forgotten about you. Once peace is fully established on Kuohl, you're next! Come and get me, COWARDS!"

His point was accentuated by the image of crushing the camera in the hands of the machine.

However, after that challenge, one minute passed, then five, and then half an hour., the last of the wreckage having fallen from its great height leaving nothing of the area but smoke and ash. No one dared approach the machine, and Lance couldn't help but sigh.

"They are cowards, aren't they?"

 _I told you to return to base. They must know they can't defeat you. Or perhaps they're in hiding and we'll need to flush them out._

"Fine," Lance said. "Returning to base."

* * *

Why aren't we going after him? Whatever mind control the Blue Paladin is under, he is a menace!"

"The same reason we should have waited before coming here Coran," Shiro replied.

"It makes sense," Keith said. "He thinks we're ready to fly off the handle and walk right into a trap. But we know better now."

"And Lance, or whoever's controlling him, has been broadcasting from their home base," Pidge added. "So why walk into a trap where he has the clear advantage when we can find out who's controlling him and free our friend?"

"Well," Allura asked, "where is it?"

"Right here," Shiro replied, pointing to a monitor showing what looked like a community of homes. Surprisingly, it showed no damage even though it wasn't too far from Stol.

"They've been operating right under the noses of the Resistance this entire time."

"Looks like it," Hunk said. "So, who wants to mount up and save Lance?" Shiro nodded.

"We're going to show Lance how right he was, by striking on our terms, when he least expects it. Come on. We need to map this out."

* * *

Unlike last time, the weakness that had overtaken Lance was far more manageable, with him walking slowly and yawning rather than needing assistance to move. His handler smiled, leading him to the elevator.

"Welcome back Warbird. A celebration is in order in light of the victory you had today."

"Celebration?" Lance asked as he removed the mask from his head. "What kind of celebration?"

Shurato smiled, snapping his fingers. From the elevator emerged two Kuohlian women, with perfect hourglass figures and feminine curves that the Earthling couldn't help but appreciate.

"You read my mind."

Walking up to the two women, Lance began to pose for both, before putting his arm around each of their waists. "Yes ladies, in two days, I ended a civil war that has gone on for eons! I am truly awesome!" Both women giggled in response, with one stroking his chin and the other groping his behind. Utterly beaming, Lance turned to Shurato.

"You coming?"

"Go on ahead!" Shurato replied. "There's a lovely fowl dish waiting for you upstairs. You must be starving as it is and you'll probably want some alone time with your two new friends. I need to take care of some items here. The War-Ark doesn't maintain herself, you know!"

"Don't wait up!" Lance said as the elevator closed. Shurato smiled as it did, watching it shut in front of Lance groping one of his new 'friends'.

"See? Much happier."

Turning back to the control room, Shurato pressed a button, and other Kuohlian figures appeared on the screen.

"Gentlemen, the Warbird has been beyond our wildest dreams of success. We have effectively wiped the slate clean of all major governments on the planet with the destruction of not only the two largest standing armies but also the Galra invasion force working with the former monarchy. Now is our chance to establish our rule."

 _Agreed Shurato. Are the preparations made for tomorrow?_

"Easily. I will call and announce our presence, that we control the Warbird, and that the process for creating a new government is underway. The people will have no choice but to unite under our singular banner.

 _And the Warbird himself?_

"He is easily directed. Compliments support him, and his need for validation drives him. He is far more intelligent than he gives himself credit for though, which makes it all the easier for me to manipulate him."

 _What about your plans for the mass-production of the War-Arks?_

"The Warbird should lead any potential army I make. He deserves that honor. The people will realize that we need to rebuild our military, and will throw their support wholeheartedly behind the creation of a fleet of Warbirds."

 _Then you should get ready Shurato. People are probably looking forward to your speech._

"I've been waiting my whole life to deliver it."

* * *

 _COWARD!_

 _WORTHLESS!_

 _SCUM!_

 _USELESS!_

The voices were relentless in how they mocked Lance. He didn't know where they were coming from, but here he was, back at the Castle of Lions, listening to the berating accusations of the entire crew, as he was unable to move. His bayard was gone, and he stood in the armor of the Blue Paladin, as the others, in full armor, continued to assault him with accusations.

"Thanks to you my father and brother are dead! If you had found that damn lion sooner, they'd still be alive!"

"I lost my arm because of you! Look at me! I'm a freak! Even if we defeat Zarkon, I'm going to spend the rest of my life hunted as a science experiment! I'll never see my family again!"

"You sentenced me to drift in outer space and I'll never see my family again either! I'm going to die out here, you know that! I'm going to be the first to die, and my blood will be on your hands!"

Lance panted heavily, covering his ears. "That's not true!"

"You sentenced us all to die, and you know it! You could have saved us, or kept us from going on this suicide mission! But thanks to you, we're all marked for death!"

"I didn't. You know that!"

Finally, Allura approached him, her face grim.

"You pathetic coward of a human. To think I would see you as anything but slime! It's a small miracle I didn't kill you the first time I saw you! Thanks to you the memory of my father is gone forever! Thanks to you we have no way of defeating Zarkon! I should kill you right now for ever thinking you could stand on the same planet as me!"

It was this remark that caused Lance to strike her.

"Not if I kill you first, BITCH!"

The others all turned to Lance, as he threw down the armor he was wearing. "I'm not the Blue Paladin, do you hear me! I'm the Warbird! And I'm going to kill you all!"

The scene quickly shifted to a battle, as Warbird King and Voltron fought, the smaller robot swinging its sword at the larger machine even as it tried to back away.

"I'm not going to be bullied by you anymore, do you hear me?!" Lance yelled. "If you won't stop, I will kill you!" Allura's voice roared from Voltron, mocking him.

"You don't have the guts, little man! You're all talk, you won't fire on me. Because you're too weak!"

A swipe of Voltron's sword laid itself deep in the armor of Warbird King, causing Lance to pant and grimace.

"See? You don't have the guts to do anything. You never did. That's why you're going to die out here, alone and unloved!"

"I'll show you guts!" Lance shot back. "YOURS!"

A massive plume of energy formed in the hands of Warbird King, stretching towards the sky. Holding it, Warbird King readied to strike.

"TAKE THIS ALLURA! WARBIRD SWORD!"

The blade lowered itself against Voltron, which couldn't move out of the way.

"GO! GO! GO!"

Finally, with one mighty crash, the sword of Warbird King struck down Voltron, splitting the robot in half. Nothing but the voice of the other Paladins and Allura.

"You…doomed us all."

"I'll save the universe myself, and return home a hero," Lance said. "You can burn with Zarkon for all I care! HA!"

* * *

AH!"

Lance awoke in the bed, a cold sweat running down his forehead and his breathing heavy. Looking to his side, he saw the two women he had taken with him, covered only by the bedsheet. On a table, the communicator in the Warbird armor's gauntlet waited, with a beeping noise signaling him.

"Yes?"

 _I trust you slept well, Mr. McClane?_

"Yeah Shurato," Lance replied. "Slept like a baby."

 _I'm going to need you in roughly one of your hours to come down to the main command center. We need to make a speech and I need you to be present for effect in full armor._

"I can do that," Lance said.

 _Excellent._

With the monitor turned off, Lance pondered the dreams he had. He hated them all more than ever, and he was convinced that he would have to kill them all, especially Allura.

He could do it. He could kill them all in one blow. He could save the universe.

"Lance? Sweetie?"

The sweet sounding voice of one of the women called to him first, though, her soft hands grabbing his arm.

"I don't wanna get up just yet."

The 19-year-old smiled, looking on at the beautiful woman. Unfortunately, he knew about the business he needed to attend to.

"Sorry girls, but I have a planet to unite. How about we get together later?"

* * *

The roads of the housing community were empty save two small means of transport that resembled vans with writing on the side. In the native language of Kuohl, both referred to the vehicles, as an electrician service designed to make sure domiciles didn't have any interruptions from the power grid. Its occupants, however, were anything but regular electricians.

"Where is everyone?" Hunk asked as he looked out the window. To facilitate the disguise, the entire group wore the uniforms of electricians over their armor. They were sure the small company they 'borrowed' the clothes from wouldn't mind too much. More of an issue was how to blend in, as only Allura could emulate the skin tone of the natives. To that end, the group all donned thick masks and gloves to prevent their clearly human flesh tones from poking out.

"There is no one else," Keith replied. "Meaning our original guess was right."

"This is a front," Pidge said. "We're coming up on the building that's drawing the most power. It has to be where Lance is. So, now what?"

Walking out of the vehicle, Allura answered by knocking on the front door. After the third try, a woman emerged.

"Yes?"

"We understand there's a problem with the power grid. We need to have a look inside."

"I can't let you do that."

"But miss, it's an urgent matter."

"Let me try."

 **BZZZZT!**

"Pidge!" Hunk shouted, emerging from the vehicle to see Pidge holding her bayard over the unconscious woman.

"What? That was way less than lethal."

"Let's just go inside," Shiro said. "Hopefully we can find Lance before anything else happens."


	4. Armor

The house itself seemed rather ordinary upon first examination, standard walls, monitors on numerous locations, and furnishings that resembled odd cubic shapes, presumably an example of Kouhlian art.

What it didn't show, at least at first, was evidence of where the operation was taking place, or any sign of the Blue Paladin. Nevertheless, the group continued to look for clues, splitting up and taking both floors of the dwelling. Pidge, in the middle of her search for clues, happened upon a blue-skinned woman rising from a large bed, covered primarily by the sheets.

"Huh? Lance?"

"Lance?" the masked Pidge asked. "You know where he is?"

"Are you with Central? Why are you dressed like that?"

The woman appeared remarkably calm for someone whose home had been invaded by men and women in odd masks. And what was 'Central'? Pidge knew what she had to do.

"We cane to do the follow up from yesterday, but we need to see Lance. Where is he?"

"In the basement with Shurato I bet," the woman replied. "All I was supposed to do was show him a good time. Not every day you get to meet the guy who ends a civil war."

A vein nearly popped in Pidge's forehead, but thankfully the mask concealed any expressions of anger. Instead, she approached the woman, bayard drawn.

"Is everything OK?"

 **BZZZZT!**

The sound of electricity crackling caused the rest of the group to run to the first floor bedroom where Pidge stood over the woman, shocked into unconsciousness by several thousand volts of electricity.

"Pidge!" Shiro shouted. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, just fine. We need to find a way into the basement. That's what she told me."

"Did she attack you after she told you?" Pidge looked on at the unconscious woman for a few seconds before replying.

"Something like that."

"So, where's the basement?" Keith asked. "I didn't see any stairs. There's gotta be a hidden panel, right?"

"That's my guess," Hunk replied, going back out into the hallway. The efforts of the group were soon rewarded, as a panel lit up, revealing an elevator. Cramming into it, an internal panel glowed a soft red as the elevator began lowering them towards their destination.

"So, odds that this leads right to a bunch of angry armed men?"

Staring at Pidge, Hunk said, "You're so optimistic."

"Can we at least lose the outfits?" Keith asked. "We know these disguises aren't going to mean jack when we get down there."

"Might as well," Shiro said. "Maybe seeing our armor will help if Lance really is brainwashed." Allura however, did not agree with Shiro's thoughts on the subject.

"He seemed quite eager to kill you when you were in your lions."

"Even so, these costumes are only going to get in the way."

"I can agree with that." Allura said, before removing the electrician outfit, revealing her combat suit underneath.

* * *

"Ah, the Warbird, hero of Kouhl. I have news."

"What is it Shurato?"

"Given the task before us, and the fact that you sadly cannot be everywhere at once, it is time for you to have…help."

Looking on at his seated benefactor, Lance titled his head, confused by what he just heard. "You don't trust me?"

"You will lead this team. I trust you more than ever. But you will need subordinates. People who trust you as much as I do."

From the shadows emerged four other people in similar armor to Lance's, but unlike Lance, their armor was a darker shade of blue. All four masked individuals kneeled before him.

"The arms and legs of the Warbird. Of course you will be the only one with a War-Ark for now, not to mention the ability to convert it to Warbird King."

"Nice to meet you all," Lance said. The four rose, nodding their heads respectfully. While the armor covered all their features, it was clear that they were natives.

"Now that you're all here, it's time to begin the speech that will unite the planet. Just stand behind me."

* * *

The elevator continued to lower, past countless feet of dirt, concrete, and whatever was separating the basement from the dwelling above it. Finally, it came to a stop, revealing a catwalk overlooking a familiar sight.

"That gunship!" Hunk said. "This is where they've been hiding it the entire time!"

"That explains why no one's here," Pidge said. "They've used the entire suburb as a hiding spot for this facility."

"You hear that?" Keith asked, as the clear sound of someone giving a speech went past his ears. Nodding before placing his fingers to his lips, Shiro directed the group towards the source of the noise. Odds were good that was where Lance would be hiding.

* * *

"Free citizens of the planet Kouhl, lend me your attention, as the world changes around us."

Shurato stood before a podium, in its center a collection of shapes and symbols that Lance reasoned was the crest of his clan. After all, every government needed a symbol. Behind the podium, he stood with his four new charges, all of them staring into the camera with their masks present.

"We have been the victims of a long struggle. I am the leader of the Clan Tenku, a clan torn asunder by the civil war, driven into hiding by the monarchy, unable to call for peace when the rebels with no claim to power plunged our planet into eons of darkness."

"But as was the case in ancient times, a hero has emerged to wipe the planet clean of toxic rulers. The Warbird! By the divine right of the Warbird, Clan Tenku, as the only surviving royal clan, exercises its claim over Kuohl and its entire people. Rejoice! For the era of violence, the era of pointless war over causes long forgotten by our people has finally ended! And we are one planet, independent again!"

Lance listened to the speech intently alongside his new charges. Although he did nothing but stand still, it was difficult for him not to be enamored by what he had heard. Bring peace to a planet and eventually the universe. Lead a team of warriors who were dedicated to the cause of peace. It was his calling.

It was that feeling of importance, that feeling of being valued that made the sound of Shurato being interrupted all the more infuriating. Turning to the source of the disturbance, he grimaced heavily.

"Paladins!"

Running to the camera that had been filming him, Shurato began to man it, cutting the live feed to ensure no one saw the interruption. As he did so, the Black Paladin raised his hands in a non-threatening manner.

"Lance? It's Shiro. Look, I don't know what happened to you, but you don't want to do this. This man is dangerous!"

"How do you know?" Lance asked. "You haven't been here long enough to know what these people have gone through!"

"No," interrupted Allura as she stepped forward, "but the Lance I knew wouldn't kill indiscriminately. He wouldn't try to hide from his frie.."

"YOU'RE NOT MY FRIENDS!" Lance shot back, a finger pointed accusingly at them. "I was your punching bag! But no more! Kill the Paladins! Leave the princess to me!"

The four armored warriors behind Lance had blades of energy extend from the forearms of their armor, before leaping forward to attack the Paladins. Lance, however, drew a staff with two blades, one on each side, before charging forward at Allura.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you, nice and slowly." Allura smirked.

"I'm sure you would. If you could."

The fight quickly spilled out of the conference room and into the hangar bay, each warrior charging a Paladin. Not knowing what to expect, Hunk was surprised when the masked man spoke.

"The fat one. Killing you should be easy."

Lunging towards Hunk, the man was surprised when he felt a powerful hand grip his arm and fling him forward onto the floor. Quickly getting up, he saw Hunk raise his hands in front of his face.

"I am trained in Kuholian blades, fat one! You are no match for me!" Rather than taunt back, Hunk breathed deeply, allowing the man to lunge forward, this time grabbing an underhook on the man's torso and flinging him over his hip, landing his significant weight squarely onto his attacker. The combined effect of the slam and the weight dropping on the man knocked the wind out of him.

"Doesn't seem like Kuholian blades are much compared to Earth judo," Hunk said, standing up and delivering a few blows to his opponent to ensure he stayed down.

The second masked assailant moved towards Keith, his swords clashing with the sword and shield of the Red Paladin. Back and forth they went as the armored man, driven by pure aggression, began to move Keith towards the edge of the catwalk, with a hundred foot drop awaiting him. The masked man said nothing, merely hissing. Not bothering to exchange small talk, Keith kept his shield ready, while reaching for the knife he kept on him. Quickly, he found his mark, a small vulnerability in the armor on the hip, causing the man to scream in agony and allowing Keith to knock him over the catwalk.

Shiro seemed less concerned with his opponent. As he fought off the attacks of the armored henchmanPidg, he began speaking into his communicator.

"Coran! We found where Lance is! Can you get the Lions to us?"

 _The Lions?_

"We found where the battleship is! We need the Lions to destroy it!"

The words echoed throughout the room, particularly in Lance's ears. Destroy the War-Ark? The source of his power?

"NO!"

A rapid swing caused Allura to step back, but rather than fulfill his promise to kill the princess, Lance instead ran for the entrance of the War Ark.

"What's the matter, Paladin?" Allura taunted, attempting to chase after him. "I thought you were going to kill me with your bare hands?"

"You're not taking the War-Ark from me!" Lance screamed, dashing through the entrance as fast as he could.

Pidge, noticing Lance's attempts to flee, attempted to use her grappling hook to hold him in position, only to be thwarted when pushed to the side by another one of his men. He stood over the young girl, only to be knocked aside and off the catwalk by several blasts from Hunk's bayard cannon.

"I had it under control."

"Sure you did."

Turning their attention to the last one of the henchmen, they found Shiro blocking a swipe of his blade with his own Galra arm, plunging it through the armor and into the attacker. When his opponent did not rise again, Shiro turned to the others and asked, "Where's Lance?"

The heavy roar of engines answered the question as the War Ark flew through a tunnel leaving the underground hangar. Turning to where Lance's benefactor was, they found a man heading to the elevator, smiling.

"It's a shame you have to meet your end this way Paladins of Voltron, but it is necessary for the future of our world!"

"What did you do to Lance?" Shiro yelled, but Shurato shook his head at the question.

"Irrelevant! Goodbye Paladins! We shall not meet again."

The elevator closed, the others pounding on the door to no avail. As they questioned how they could escape the hangar, rumblings could be felt above them.

 _Princess! You must leave at once!_

"Coran?" Allura asked, turning to her communicator. "What's going on?"

 _I found Lance! He's on his machine and is departing the city!_

"What about these shockwaves?"

 _It appears the former occupant planted explosives in the area between the surface and that hangar to destroy any evidence! If the explosions keep up, they'll bury you alive under countless tons of dirt and rocks!_

"We know that! How do we get out of here?"

 _I sent the Lions to you through the same entrance he took to leave, but you must hurry! If you don't, you'll all be buried underground!_

The area continued to shake as the Paladins waited for their lions to arrive, hoping desperately than Coran would get them there in time.

Breathing heavily as the War-Ark rose above the clouds, Lance began to compose himself. He had escaped from the Paladins, and their attempt to rob him of the power that made him whole. Looking at the various displays, he sighed heavily.

"I need to begin my mission," he said aloud to no one in particular. As he did, he flipped a switch to receive broadcasts planet-wide.

What he saw terrified and infuriated him.

The Warbird was not seen as the hero Shurato had promised he was. Nor was his presence even particularly welcome. The same words echoed from every broadcast. Terrorist. Bully. Criminal.

He was an object to be despised and fear, not loved and rewarded. Many had even sent messages hoping, praying that the Voltron Paladins would show and strike down this new threat. All except the Blue Paladin, as one cheeky comedian reminded his audience.

"I saved your planet from civil war, and THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!" Lance yelled aloud. "I'll show you all!"

Looking down, Lance saw Shurato calmly walking out of the house, prepared to step into a car. He couldn't let him leave.

"SHURATO!"

Looking up, stunned at the sudden call, Lance's benefactor smiled.

"You should be going! We need to regroup at Point B!"

"There's been a change in our mission objectives," Lance said. "All life on Kuohl shall be exterminated. It's the only way to establish peace."

"W…what?! Lance, what's wrong with you?"

Leaping an impossible distance from his starship towards the ground, Lance stood in front of Shurato and did something he wouldn't have dreamed of doing the day prior.

He struck him, sending the blue skinned alien to the ground, right onto his behind.

"LANCE IS DEAD! I AM THE WARBIRD AND SHALL BE ADDRESSED AS SUCH!"

"I made you the Warbird, remember?" Shurato said, his voice filled with anger. Lance responded to this by lifting him up by his shirt.

"The parameters of this mission have changed. Everyone on this planet must be killed to preserve peace. Every man, woman, and child must die."

"You can't!" Shurato yelled, his voice increasingly desperate. "You need me! The War-Ark will not repair itself, and I'm the only one who knows how! You follow my orders because I give you power, remember? That was our arrangement!"

"I…I understand. You give me power, so I follow your orders."

Lance began to lower Shurato towards the ground, causing the Kuohlian to sigh In relief. He would need to adjust the mental conditioning to increase his loyalty, and not just focus his rage. But that was doable.

Unfortunately, that thought process was interrupted as both he and Lance flew into the air. Or rather, Lance flew into the air while holding Shurato.

"W…what are you doing?"

"Changing our partnership. You give me orders because you have power over me. I'm going to take you with me and find the secrets of the Warbird from you, and in exchange, you get to keep living. Now I have the power. And now I give the orders."

"Y…you can't do this!" Shurato protested, but Lance shook his head.

"You led me to my destiny. Now I will fulfill it. I will exterminate every living thing on this planet."

Once the pair had boarded the War-Ark, Shurato was flung into a chair and restrained with numerous straps, preventing him from moving a muscle.

"W…what are you planning?"

"The War-Ark's computers have identified 324 major population centers as well as 7,640 additional targets. One War-Ark could not destroy all those population centers, even with orbital bombardment in one shot. Believe me, I calculated."

"L…Warbird, this isn't what you were supposed to do! Please, listen to reason!"

"THEY MAKE FUN OF ME EVERY SECOND I LET THEM LIVE!" Lance screamed, before calming down slightly. "But it's OK. I have identified the major energy providers of the planet. Those I can hit. The ensuing chain reactions will wipe out 86% of all targets, and the rest I can pick off."

"And what about me?" Shurato asked, his voice trembling.

"You will do what you had planned. You will repair the War-Ark, and make more of them. You will make more Warbirds for me to command. And we will bring peace to the universe. If you refuse, you will die, and I will find a way to extract the information from your dead brain."

All Shurato could do was stare at Lance, and question how he could have created such a monster. But the rumbling of the War-Ark's engines interrupted that thought, as it began to hover over a city.

"W…what are you doing?"

"This city will not be affected by the orbital bombardment. Besides, I want to see the scum on this planet squirm."

The terror in Shurato's face was evident, but Lance paid it no mind. Instead, he looked at his prey, the eyes behind his mask staring at the targets, the people who thought him a joke and a fool.

"It's time to show this planet what happens when they make fun of the Warbird. FU-SION!"

The celling continued to shake as larger pieces of it began to fall. Not willing to waste any time waiting, the Paladins began moving down the tunnel, only to realize that it stretched for miles. On foot, it would take far too long for them to escape.

"Dammit Coran," Hunk exclaimed. "Where are the Lions?"

A familiar and welcome roar answered Hunk as the five lions flew through the tunnel, looking on at their Paladins.

"Coran came through!"

"Sure did," Keith said, boarding the Red Lion. The others boarded their Lions, except Allura, who looked on at the Blue Lion, confused as to why it had come to. Putting her hand to its muzzle, she nodded. Given the limited time they had before the cave would collapse in on themselves, it was not something that the others had the patience for.

"Uh, Princess?"

"You want to find your Paladin, right? We'll rescue him, together. I promise."

Boarding the Blue Lion, Allura took it out of the tunnel along with the others. The other four looked on confused.

"We both are going to help each other. We're going to find the Blue Paladin. If the Blue Lion believes Lance is worth saving, than there is hope for him yet."

"Look out!"

A massive boulder landed in front of the Lions, but in several seconds, a cannon blast from the Red Lion shattered it, allowing the five to move forward.

"Thanks."

"Let's just get out of here before the building caves in!"

The five lions flew out of the tunnel, towards their target, not bothering to see the collapse a mere moment later. Recognizing the cliffs that the suburb stood on, it made perfect sense how they could have remained so easily hidden.

The hows and whys of what had happened were ignored in favor of the sight of front of them, the massive robot known as Warbird King, smashing buildings, blasting anything on the roads, and in general causing massive panic and destruction. It was too much to bear.

"Hold it right there Lance!"

Turning its head, Warbird King stared at the five lions, laughing.

"Well, well, it looks like you replaced me after all, Blue! Not that it matters, because this is the last time you'll ever fight! You and the Paladins will join the people of this hellhole! I'll show all of you!"

Shaking his head, Shiro reached for the controls of the Black Lion.

"Lance, I don't know what Shurato did to you. But if I have to, I'm going to beat the crazy out of you! FORM VOLTRON!"


End file.
